Results 4,261-4,280 of 10,573 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The name of the Bill is the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill, and it refers to pensions. The Government has to have an age set so that we can forecast how much public service pension will cost. Section 3A(2) states that subject to subsection (3), the Minister may, by order, prescribe an age being higher than 70 years but not higher than 75. This amendment takes out...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: Amendment No. 4, from Deputy Barry Cowen, was accepted in the Dáil. I pointed out that any potential remedies that related to the cohort of workers to which he referred would be likely to require further legislative change, which would be a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The amendment inserts a new section 3A(6) and requires a report to be prepared by the...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (20 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Seanad for facilitating the Bill. It will allow, hopefully by the end of the year, the enactment of very important legislation. The first group is amendments Nos. 1 and 7. Amendment No. 1 is a technical amendment which is necessary in order to reflect the insertion of a new section into the Bill, the subject matter of which was not previously reflected in the Long Title....

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Bill is an essential element of financial housekeeping that must be concluded by both Houses of the Oireachtas before the end of the year. The Bill serves two primary purposes. First, it is necessary to authorise in law all of the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2018 on the basis of the Estimates that have been voted on by the Dáil during the year. Section 1 and Schedule 1...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Members who expressed their support for the Bill. I will respond to a few points that have been made. Senator Ned O'Sullivan is dead right that the Shannon Foynes Port Company is a great example for everyone in our area of north Kerry and mid-west region. It is a semi-State company that has the power, capability and drive to deliver to a region, and in this case it has...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: In terms of Senator Paddy Burke's proposal for the overspend, he is absolutely right. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I are very conscious of the fact that as we embark on Project Ireland 2040, and so are about to spend €116 billion, we do not want to have the situation that we had in previous national development plans where projects came in over cost and, in many...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am pleased to present 2018 to the House. It passed all Stages in the Dáil yesterday. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission came into existence on 1 January 2004 under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003. The founding commission legislation in 2003 led, in summary, to two consequences: (1) that the commission became the sanctioning authority for expenditure, staff...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I welcome the support of the Senators. It is important to remember that the commission is a separate entity from the Executive, as is right and proper. Senator Ned O'Sullivan said that the role of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is to make sure that money becomes available. As a Member, I avail of the services provided by the commission, and it is in my interest, as much as...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second and Subsequent Stages (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will put the acting Chair down for a song.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (19 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: 317. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a discretionary medical card for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53606/18]

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I discussed this at length with Deputy Chambers in committee and I thank his spokesperson for engaging with me and my officials in the past couple of days. We also discussed this at length. The provision that is referred to here is: "Any contracts in respect of consultancy, advice or other services to the board shall be subject to public competition." It is already the case in hundreds, if...

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Deputy Jonathan O'Brien for his engagement. He will recall from discussions we had on the procurement element of the Bill, which is not in any other piece of legislation, that the net result of not accepting this amendment will be that these Houses will be clogged in the new year, amending hundreds if not thousands of pieces of legislation to insert this provision because in no other...

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: The answer is "Yes". I have already said to Deputies Jonathan O'Brien and Cowen that I am only delighted to hear any suggestions or proposals that any Member of the House can bring forward to me, as Minister of State with responsibility for public procurement, and engage with the Office of Government Procurement. That is a standing invitation to every Member of the House and Ministers,...

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose that Fifth Stage be taken after the recess in the new year.

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I suggest a date within the first week if that is agreeable to the House.

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I suggest 15 January.

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am simply looking for Fifth Stage to be taken in the first week back to seek advice from my officials, the Office of the Attorney General and to engage further with representatives of the Opposition, once the opportunity arises.

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I move amendment No. 11:In page 37, to delete lines 30 and 31.

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I move amendment No. 8:In page 20, to delete lines 34 and 35. This has the effect of removing section 21(6). Section 21 requires one of the parties to a data sharing agreement to be designated as the lead agency responsible for carrying out the functions specified in the section and elsewhere in the Bill relating to data sharing agreements. It sets out a number of functions that the lead...

Data Sharing and Governance Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (18 Dec 2018)

Patrick O'Donovan: I move amendment No. 10:In page 33, to delete lines 25 to 27.